Where machinery dealers lose margin
Margin rarely disappears in one big mistake. It goes £400 at a time: an old list price, a forgotten freight charge, a "throw in the hitch" that nobody costed, a discount agreed on the phone that was bigger than it sounded. On a machine with a 12% margin, a few of those turn a good deal into a bad one.
The fix isn't to stop salespeople negotiating. It's to make the rules visible and automatic, so the easy deals go through quickly and only the unusual ones need a conversation.
Your pricing rules, built into every quote
For each brand you set the commercial terms you buy on: list price, your dealer discount, and the landed costs that turn a list price into your real cost, such as freight, dock fees, PDI and haulage. DigDealer works out the cost of every model and option from those terms, then applies your default markup to get a selling price.
On top of that sits a minimum markup. It is the floor no quote can go under without approval. Owners can set different markups by brand or category, and change them in one place when a price list or exchange rate moves.
- Dealer discount and landed costs per brand
- Default markup and minimum markup per brand or category
- Flat uplifts where a manufacturer's terms need them
- One change updates every model and option in that brand
Cost prices stay with the people who need them
DigDealer has separate roles for owners, managers and sales staff. Salespeople see selling prices and how much room they have. They don't see what you paid, what the dealer discount is or how the markup was built. Owners and managers see everything, including the margin on each quote.
That matters most when the configurator is turned round to face a customer. The screen shows the machine, the options and the price. It never shows the number you would least like a customer to photograph.
Discount approvals in seconds, not phone tag
When a salesperson discounts below the minimum, the quote doesn't simply fail. They request approval, and the manager gets a push notification on their phone with the machine, the customer and the price asked for. One tap approves or declines. The salesperson sees the answer on the quote they are already building, often before the customer has finished their tea.
Every request and decision is recorded, so at the end of the month you can see who asked for what, on which machines, and how often. That is the kind of evidence that makes pricing conversations with a team much easier.
Margin you can see across the business
Because every quote is built on the same rules, owners can trust the quote pipeline without opening each PDF to check the maths. Dealers buying from European manufacturers can also keep landed costs right when the rate moves; see euro price lists and landed cost. For multi-branch dealer groups, it means every depot sells on the same terms.
Works hand in hand with
- Euro price lists and landed costQuote European machines in pounds at your exchange rate, with freight, dock, PDI and haulage built in.
- Quote pipeline and customersEvery quote, customer and deposit in one place, with reminders so follow-ups don't slip.
- Machine configuratorBuild a quote from your own catalogue. Options, attachments and prices that actually fit the machine.
Dealers who rely on it most
- Multi-depot dealer groupsOne catalogue, one set of pricing rules and one pipeline across every depot and salesperson.
- Construction equipment dealersExcavators, dumpers and loaders quoted with the right hitches, buckets and piping every time.
- Agricultural machinery dealersQuote on the farm, with no signal, and get the deal signed before you leave the yard.
Margin and discount control: common questions
Can salespeople see cost prices?
No. Sales staff see selling prices and their discount room. Cost, dealer discount and margin are only visible to owners and managers.
What happens if a salesperson discounts below the minimum?
They can request approval from inside the quote. Managers get a push notification and can approve or decline from their phone. The quote updates as soon as they do.
Can we set different markups for different brands?
Yes. Each brand has its own dealer discount, landed costs, default markup and minimum markup, and categories can carry their own default margin too.
Is there a record of discounts and approvals?
Yes. Discount requests, approvals and pricing changes are logged with who made them and when.
Updated